A starting place for birding information for British Columbia, Canada. This web site features a birders discussion forum, links to birding newsgroups, articles and book reviews, checklists, regional hotspots, photo gallery, weather reports, and visiting birder information.

From April, a few "Prelim" photos. I usually make a few preliminary JPEGs when I dump a memory card. Later I revisit the photos and "finalize" them, spending more effort in Photoshop.

I've seen hundreds of Yellow-rumped Warblers this Spring. Just stand under any tall deciduous tree and look up and you'll likely spot them. This one was lower down and posed for me in the sun.

I've also seen numerous Rufous Hummingbird males zipping around. I was watching a bush where I had had a brief glimpse of a Flycatcher when this Rufous came into view feeding. Nice to find one feeding in a natural setting.

One Winter Finch that I didn't see this past Winter was the Pine Siskin. So when I spotted a flash of yellow, I wondered what Warbler it was. Then when it came into full view, I realized it was a Pine Siskin.

Last year at least one pair of Yellow-headed Blackbirds attempted to set up shop at Burnaby Lake. Like most Blackbirds they are aggressive. Unfortunately the male of the pair at Burnaby Lake pushed his luck and I have a photo of him being carried away by an Eagle. Another has shown up this Spring at Burnaby Lake. This one is relatively tame, as are the RW Blackbirds there.

In some years I've encountered Caspian Terns as early as February. This year, though, they were sparse, until one day recently, when I came across a couple of dozen at different locations. This one caught a fish during a plunge dive, but in "turn", a Gull started to chase it, then a Bald Eagle joined in, chasing the Gull.

I haven't seen many Black Turnstones recently. They are supposed to breed up north, but I suspect that some breed locally. This one has mostly transitioned into breeding plumage with the white showing on its face.

This Red-necked Grebe swam very close to me. Enough for an 80 MB TIFF file. This small version still shows plenty of detail.

Although during the Winter I had come across a Whimbrel at the Ferry Jetty, I haven't seen them often elsewhere in a location where they can be easily photographed. This was one of a pair and because few people were about on a blustery day, they were not too nervous.

Usually I find Common Loons swimming relatively close to the shoreline. Further out, often much further out, I may see Pacific Loons and rarely, but both near and far, I encounter Red-throated Loons. This is one of a pair of Pacific Loons swimming about 10 meters from the waterline. Unusual, but the image shows the eye colour and also the "necklace". In the Winter when their gray colour and neck colour are absent, this necklace is a dark line around its neck, but in breeding plumage, it now looks as if it could be a jeweled necklace.